The present invention relates to fertilizers, and more particularly urea fertilizer treated with an improved lignosulfonate conditioning agent to harden and give anti-caking and anti-dusting properties to the fertilizer particles.
The use of solid urea fertilizer as a source of nitrogen is well known. Methods of manufacturing urea fertilizer as well as methods of processing fertilizer into particles via prill and/or granulation techniques are also well known. The resulting fertilizer particles, however, exhibit several undesirable characteristics. First, such particles tend to cake when stored and transported in bulk such that the initial free flowing particles change to a solid, substantially integral mass. Secondly, such particles easily break into smaller particles resulting in a substantial amount of dust being created when handled, transported and when eventually applied to the soil.
In order to overcome the above disadvantages, the prior art has taught a number of conditioning agents which may be added to the fertilizer during processing to harden and give anti-caking and anti-dusting properties to fertilizer particles. For example, anti-caking properties have been imparted to fertilizer particles by utilizing clay, talc, surfactants, or a combination of these three conditioners, to coat the particles. Additionally, various oils are sprayed on the particles for controlling dust. Also, a phosphoric acid-boric acid compound known under the trademark "Permalene" and available from Mississippi Chemical, has been utilized in phosphate production as a hardening agent.
It is also known to add 0.1% to 0.5% by weight of formaldehyde to urea during urea manufacturing to overcome the above noted disadvantages. The following patents discuss the reaction of formaldehyde with urea to form ureaformaldehyde products: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,112,343; 4,160,782; and 4,204,053. Health and safety considerations, however, have severely limited the use of formaldehyde in fertilizer products, and in fact formaldehyde is not widely accepted for use as a conditioning agent in the preparation of urea or other fertilizers. Urea has also been treated with 0.1% to 5% by weight of lignosulfonates as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,358.